Last holiday season, death had stolen some of San Diego’s most vulnerable residents — our homeless population — after an unprecedented hepatitis A outbreak killed 20 people and infected or hospitalized hundreds more. Even before government officials declared a state of emergency, they were pointing fingers at one another. Community members have pointed fingers at other people ever since. Mostly, we blamed city and county politicians for failing so miserably. Their delay in calling a formal emergency and failure to heed warnings for months led directly to a loss of life and a death of dignity.

This holiday season, a maddening state audit has shined new light on the slow government response to the hepatitis A outbreak. But now, failures of government loom even larger all around us. The failures are international, inescapable, on both sides of the border, around which there’s an even bigger humanitarian crisis. It’s worth contemplating as people pivot from the giving season to the new year: Not everyone will get a fresh start. Thousands of San Diego County homeless residents still can’t find permanent housing. And thousands of Central American migrants in Tijuana face an even more uncertain future, eyeing the U.S. as the Trump administration tries to limit their entry. Too many people, some just like Joseph and Mary fleeing violence in their homelands, are out in the cold, having found only temporary shelter.

In San Diego, this month’s torrential rain flooded the living quarters of hundreds of homeless residents in one of three massive tents Downtown, forcing them to relocate to the Mission Valley stadium. In National City, some homeless people actually fled rising water levels by clambering up trees.

Meanwhile, more than 6,000 Central American migrants had arrived in Tijuana after chasing a better life thousands of miles. Ignoring the complex reality of the situation, President Donald Trump saw them only as political pawns. “Build that wall” and make Mexico pay for it became furlough federal employees days before Christmas to force a budget stalemate and make Americans pay for what actually would only be steel slats. Not the same, right?

It’s time to point fingers again: at politicians and ourselves. Some elected leaders are saying the right things, but solutions remain elusive. Republican San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer went to SDCCU Stadium and urged locals to drop off donations for the 324 evacuees in a “time of need.” Sen. Kamala Harris, D-San Francisco, tweeted, “Families seeking asylum in San Diego who have fled violence and persecution need our help.” Democratic Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and state Senate President Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, are calling broadly on government to help immigrants who have come to America. But we need action, not words, which amount to lip service. We need housing affordability, a faster asylum review, a public that demands both.

With so many desperate people in close proximity, in San Diego and in Tijuana, all elected officials at every level need to work harder to avoid another major public health crisis. How is unclear, and will require communication and coordination. But more of the same is not an option. Is it? Ask yourself.